Chennai remains the chief retail industry and shopping centre in South India, with some of its suburbs serving as exclusive shopping districts. Since the formation of the city in the seventeenth century, George Town remains one of the chief commercial neighbourhood of the city. However, with the centuries passing, the central business district of the city started shifting towards the south of Fort St. George and moving to its present location at Gemini Circle. The city's retail industry is concentrated chiefly in T. Nagar, which is by far the largest shopping district of India, generating more than twice the revenue of Connaught Place in New Delhi or Linking Road in Mumbai, even by conservative estimates. [1]
The first silk sari shops in the city appeared in George Town towards the end of the nineteenth century. These remained popular until about 1915, when new shops were opened in Chintadripet, followed by shops near the Parthasarathy temple in Triplicane in the following years. By the late 1930s, similar shops were opened near the Kapaleeshwarar temple in Mylapore. By this time, the Long Lake on the western peripheral region of the old city was drained out resulting in the formation of T. Nagar extension from the existing neighborhood of Mambalam in 1923. The laying of suburban railway line from Egmore to Kancheepuram in 1911 resulted in a station at Mambalam. In the 1950s, textile shops appeared in T. Nagar, which were soon followed by jewellery stores, eventually making the neighbourhood as a shopping destination of the present day. [2]
Chennai is the most important gold market in the South Indian region which contributes to 45 percent of the total annual national offtake of 800 tonnes. T. Nagar accounts for about 70 to 80 percent of the gold sold in the city. [2]
According to the 2012 Cushman & Wakefield report Main Streets Across the World, Khader Nawaz Khan Road at Nungambakkam ranked 10th position in the list of 'Top 10 Global Highest Retail Rental Growth Markets 2012', with 36.7 percent increase in rents. [3]
Name | Location | Year | Size | Source |
---|---|---|---|---|
Spencer Plaza | Mount Road | 1863 | 250,000 sq ft (23,000 m2) | |
Alsa Mall | Montieth Road, Egmore | 1998 | ||
Abhirami Mega Mall | Purasawalkam | 2003 | ||
Mayajaal | Kanathur, East Coast Road | 2006 | 30,000 sq ft (2,800 m2) | |
Chennai Citi Centre | Dr.Radhakrishnan Salai, Mylapore | 2006 | 117,600 sq ft (10,930 m2) | |
Ampa Skywalk | Poonamallee High Road, Aminjikarai | 2009 | 650,000 sq ft (60,000 m2) | |
Express Avenue | Whites Road, Royapettah | 2010 | 1,500,000 sq ft (140,000 m2) | |
Chandra Mall | Arcot road, Virugambakkam | 2011 | 143,130 sq ft (13,297 m2) | [4] |
Vivira Mall | Navalur, OMR | 2011 | 300,000 sq ft (28,000 m2) | [5] [6] [7] |
Spectrum Mall | Paper Mills Road, Perambur | 2011 | 160,000 sq ft (15,000 m2) | |
Ramee Mall | Anna Salai, Teynampet | 2012 | 225,000 sq ft (20,900 m2) | [8] |
Bergamo | Khader Nawaz Khan Road, Nungambakkam | 2012 | 40,000 sq ft (3,700 m2) | |
Gold Souk Grandé Mall Chennai | GST Road, Vandalur | 2015 | 800,000 sq ft (74,000 m2) | [9] [10] |
Phoenix Market City (Chennai) | Velachery | 2013 | 2,400,000 sq ft (220,000 m2) | [11] |
Forum Vijaya Mall | Arcot road, Vadapalani | 2013 | 700,000 sq ft (65,000 m2) | [12] |
VR Chennai | Inner Ring Road, Anna Nagar West | 2018 | 2,000,000 sq ft (190,000 m2) | |
The Marina Mall, Chennai | OMR Road, Egattur | 2019 | 550,000 sq ft (51,000 m2) | |
BSR Mall | Thoraipakkam | 2020 | 140,000 sq ft (13,000 m2) | |
Saravana Selvarathnam Ultimate Store Mall | Pallavaram | 2022 |
Delhi has been, since historical times, a favoured destination for shoppers.
Pitt Street Mall is the pedestrianised section of Pitt Street in the Sydney central business district, in the Australian state of New South Wales. Running for approximately 200 metres between Market Street and King Street, it is one block long and one of Australia's busiest and most cosmopolitan shopping precincts. Floorspace rents are the highest in Australia, in part due to other cities' shopping precincts being longer. In 2015, its rents were the fifth-highest in the world in terms of city streets.
Thyagaraya Nagar, commonly known as T. Nagar, and historically known as East Mambalam, is a very affluent commercial and residential neighbourhood in Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India. It is surrounded by Nungambakkam in the North, Teynampet in the East, Nandanam in the South-East, C.I.T. Nagar in the South and West Mambalam and Kodambakkam in the West. The stretch between Duraiswamy Road and T. Nagar Bus Stand has some of the costliest real estates in Chennai. It was constructed between 1923 and 1925 by the Madras Presidency government of the Raja of Panagal as a part of town planning activities initiated according to the Madras Town Planning Act of 1920. The town was named after P. Thyagaraya Chetty. The streets, parks and localities in the new neighbourhood were named after important officials in the provincial government.
Anna Nagar, is a neighbourhood in the metropolitan city of Chennai, India. Named after former Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu C. N. Annadurai, it is located in the north-western part of Chennai and forms a part of the Aminjikarai taluk and the Anna Nagar Zone. It is one of the prime residential areas in Chennai and is home to several prominent doctors, lawyers and politicians. Real estate prices are among the highest in the city. A recent addition to the area is VR Chennai Mall, located near Shanthi Colony and Thirumangalam junction.
Saidapet, also known as Saidai, is a neighbourhood in Chennai, India, situated in the northern banks of the Adyar River and serves as an entry point to Central Chennai. It is surrounded by West Mambalam in the North, C.I.T Nagar in the North-East, Nandanam in the East, Guindy in the South, Jafferkhanpet and Ashok Nagar in the North-West. The Saidapet Court, the only other court of judicature in Chennai city apart from the Madras High Court, and the Saidapet bus depot are located here. Prior to its incorporation in Madras city, Saidapet functioned as the administrative headquarters of Chingleput district. The neighbourhood is served by Saidapet railway station of the Chennai Suburban Railway Network.
PVR INOX Ltd, formerly known as PVR Cinemas, is an Indian multiplex chain based in Delhi. It was formed as a result of the merger between PVR Cinemas and INOX Leisure Multiplex. PVR pioneered the multiplex revolution in India by establishing the first multiplex cinema in 1997 at Vasant Vihar, New Delhi. In 2022, PVR Cinemas achieved the milestone of completing 25 years in the business. As of December 2023, PVR Inox has 1747 screens across 359 properties in 114 cities.
Vandalur is a census town and taluk headquarters in the Chengalpattu district lying south of the metropolitan city of Chennai, India. Vandalur serves as the southern gateway to Chennai city. It has the Arignar Anna Zoological Park, which contain some rare species of wild flora and fauna. The town is served by Vandalur railway station of the Chennai Suburban Railway network.
West Mambalam is a residential and commercial area in Chennai, India. It is known for its shops, bazaars and Hindu temples. It is bounded by Kodambakkam to the north and Saidapet to the south. T. Nagar and Nandanam stretch all along its eastern frontiers while Ashok Nagar lies to its west. The Ayodhya Mandapam is an important landmark.
Aminjikarai, originally Amaindakarai, is one of the oldest neighbourhoods in Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India. The arterial Poonamallee High Road runs through it. Aminjikarai was annexed to Madras District in 1946, and Arumbakkam and Anna Nagar were carved out of Aminjikarai in the 1950s and 1970s, respectively. The Nelson Manickam Road which traverses Aminjikarai is an important commercial road in Chennai city.
Panagal Park is a park and a locality in Thyagaraya Nagar, Chennai. The park is named after the Raja of Panagal, the Chief Minister of Madras Presidency who created the park. It is an important junction and is the commercial centre of T. Nagar.
Mambalam taluk is a taluk of the city district of Chennai in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. It was formed in December 2013 from parts of the former Egmore-Nungambakkam taluk and the Mambalam-Guindy taluk. It comprises the neighbourhoods of K. K. Nagar, Kodambakkam, Mambalam, Saligramam, Saidapet and Virugambakkam.
Benoy is an international firm of architects, master planners, interior architects, and graphic designers working from design studios in the United Kingdom, Singapore, Hong Kong, Shanghai, Beijing, and Montréal. The company is primarily known for its global retail architecture. Notable projects include the Westfield London building in the UK, Elements shopping mall in Hong Kong, and ION mall in Singapore.
Ampa Skywalk is a shopping mall in Chennai, India. With three floors of retail space, it has outlets for major clothing and apparel brands, a seven-screen multiplex, a games zone and a food court.
Gold Souk Grandé is a shopping mall, in the city of Chennai, India. The project was unveiled in April 2009 by actress Shobana. It is located next to Crescent Engineering College in Chennai and will be operational by first quarter of 2015. This is creating a record for itself by becoming the longest project in gestation period and construction period. Spread in the total built up area of 800,000 sq ft (74,000 m2), the mall will have five floors with gross leasable (retail) area of 600,000 sq ft (56,000 m2) dedicated to hypermarket, anchors, vanilla brands, multiplex, food court, QSR and Ramada Hotel.
Hyatt Regency Chennai is an 18-storey five-star luxury hotel located on Anna Salai at Teynampet in Chennai, India. Designed in 1986, the construction of the hotel started in the 1990s. However, the completion was delayed for nearly two decades and the hotel was opened on 10 August 2011 at a cost of ₹5.50 billion. Built on 18,510 square metres (199,200 sq ft) of land, it is the first Hyatt hotel in South India and has 327 rooms.
Mambalam Railway Station is an NSG–3 category Indian railway station in Chennai railway division of Southern Railway zone. It is one of the railway stations in Chennai, India, on the Chennai Beach–Chengelpet section of the Chennai Suburban Railway Network. It is situated in the neighbourhoods of West Mambalam and T. Nagar, about 11 km (6.8 mi) from Chennai Beach, and has an elevation of 13 m (43 ft) above sea level.
Guindy taluk is a taluk of the city district of Chennai in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. It was formed in December 2013 from parts of the erstwhile Mambalam-Guindy taluk and the Mylapore-Triplicane taluk. It comprises the neighbourhoods of Adyar, Alandur, T. Nagar, Ekkaduthangal, Guindy and Kotturpuram.
Velachery taluk is a taluk of the city district of Chennai in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. It was formed in December 2013 from parts of the erstwhile Mambalam-Guindy and Mylapore-Triplicane taluks. It comprises the neighbourhoods of Besant Nagar, Tharamani, Thiruvanmiyur and Velachery.